1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to automobile accessories and, more specifically, to Detachable Clearance Wands.
2. Description of Related Art
Recreational Vehicles (“RV's”) have become increasingly popular means of vacationing for many modern families. As the RV design has evolved, many features previously only available in a brick-and-mortar house have now become standard and optional features in RV's, including hardwood flooring, granite countertops, satellite communications, and many others.
Another aspect of the RV evolution is that they have become larger and larger. Because there is a limitation on width of the RV (i.e. so that they can still be driven over the road) the conventional RV could only be enlarged by making it longer and longer. One fairly recent advancement was that of the “slide-out.” FIG. 1A depicts an RV having a conventional slide-out.
FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a conventional RV 10 having its slide-out compartment 18 retracted; FIG. 1B is a perspective view of that conventional RV 10 with the slide-out compartment 18 extended. The RV 10 has one or more panels 14 dispersed on the sidewall 12 of the RV 10. Once the RV 10 has been parked in its camping location, the slide-out compartment 18 is extended outwardly for an extension length 20. The effect of adding a slide-out compartment 18 to a conventional RV was to add additional interior width without exceeding the over-the-road width of the RV 10. The slide-out feature has become so popular that RV's are now being offered with as many as four individual slide-out compartments 18 incorporated into them.
The problem with the slide-out compartment 18 is that they tend to make positioning the RV 10 quite a bit more difficult in many campgrounds. The problem relates to obstructions on the sides of the campground space. It is common for there to be one or more utility hookup posts 16 between each of the spaces. At these posts 16, the RV can connect to the various utilities provided by the campground to their tenants, such as electrical power, water, cable television, etc. The specific problem is that it is difficult for the RV driver to really know how far the slide-out compartment 18 will extend (i.e. the extension length 20). What happens is that the driver parks the RV 10 where he or she believes there will be sufficient spacing; then they test extend the slide-out compartment 18 to see whether or not it strikes the post 16 when fully extended. If it looks like there is insufficient space, the driver must reenter the RV 10, retract the slide-out 18, reposition the RV 10, and then re-extend the slide-out 18. This can be a very cumbersome process, particularly where there are numerous obstructions and more than one slide-out.
What is needed is a device and method that permits the RV driver to park the RV 10 once, and not be in fear of the slide-out compartment 18 impinging upon external obstructions.